Sunday, October 07, 2012

INKING: Ink the forms, not just the lines

I'm working with a bunch of inkers and finding that I have to explain the same concepts multiple times to each artist individually. So I figure if I just put the tips up here where everyone can see them, maybe it will save me time explaining so much.

This pencil layout is lively and almost constructed. It's slightly disconnected so let's enhance it through the miracle of construction.

Some of my inkers can draw cleaner smoother lines than me and that's great. However there is more to a good clean up than just smooth lines. The lines need to describe the forms underneath and all the details need to be in agreement with the forms they belong to.

The line of action is always the major form or force that guides the rest of the drawing. Analyze the pose you are tracing and make guides to help your understanding and placement of the forms upon the line of action.

When connecting one part of the body to another you should aim the connecting parts to the centers of the foams they are attached to. A neck connects the back of the skull through the centre of your torso.

Draw your biggest forms first and connect them to each other. Then you can do the next biggest forms that are part of the bigger ones. Eyes are part of the head so they should look like they are in the same position in space that the head is.

That doesn't mean they are perfectly symmetric though. They still should feel organic and alive.

Next I'll show you buggers how to connect limbs to bodies and hands and feet, ok?

So John, when you say like 'draw the eyes all the way around even though we wont see the bottoms", do you suggest we do that with all/most forms, like head shapes, shoes/feet, etc? And then go back in an erase?

I looked a bit at the other John K Blogs. I think he could organize them into just this one. Maybe erase and consolidate some of his posts/labels. He doesn't need to repeat himself over and over. I noticed a colored "illustration" for UPA something on his other Blog. All outlines were different colors. That's what I like to look at! I'm not the expert, but to me that seems to be what I consider part of John K's identity. Signature. Mark. Whatever.

I looked a bit at the John K Store. I clicked on the sticker link and ended up at "Celebrity Merchandise." Is John K considered a Celebrity? The t-shirts were jumping around a lot in the Store, but I still managed to click on them. I like the look of the store. I would be embarrassed to wear the t-shirts. Most Concert t-shirts aren't cool today. George Michael for one, U2 another. I would love to buy a mug or something. I have this old faded/thin Nike shirt that I still keep for some reason, but don't really wear anymore. One guy gave me a compliment when I wore it 6 yrs ago. He said, "people would pay a lot of money for that." All that merchandise stuff is really important. Little people can afford it.

Joshua,I think your teacher just wants you to get the proportions to pull you roughs on-model, not to copy the model sheets exactly. You still have to retain the line of action and spirit of your rough. I used the technique here to keep Fry on model for this scene:

I'm sure John will have some reservations on the technique, but it's still a legitimate practice, for your eye has ways of fooling you. Just compare the proportions, not every plane and detail or you'll stiffen up.

I think it would be funny if George Liquor went online and bought his 2012 Olympic George Michael belt from the John K Store. I can picture a George Michael/George Liquor t-shirt. "Symphonica" isn't really American enough.

I have never forgotten the lessons I learned concerning the construction of illustrations. These lessons were conducted casually by a truly insane comic book artist I knew when I was writing in the comics industry. If that guy wasn't insane, he would make a wonderful teacher.